The Oscar Narrative: Pre-Guild Technical Predictions

Starting at the end of this week, and rolling through most of the next week, we still start to here from the major guilds (SAG being the early exception). Some of the big ones like the PGA, DGA, and WGA will have a incredible impact on the big categories, especially Best Picture. But there are a lot of guilds announcing that will also help us clear up some of these tough technical categories. Before they reign in, and shift the landscape completely, here are my predictions:

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki "Birdman"
Robert D. Yeoman "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Hoyte Van Hoytema "Interstellar"
Bradford Young "Selma"
Roger Deakins "Unbroken"

Best Costume Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Into the Woods
Maleficent
The Theory of Everything

Best Film Editing
Birdman
Boyhood
Gone Girl
The Imitation Game
Selma

Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Foxcatcher
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Theory of Everything

Best Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Imitation Game
Into the Woods
Maleficent

Best Sound Editing
American Sniper
Fury
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Transformers: Age of Extinction

Best Sound Mixing
American Sniper
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Into the Woods
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Unbroken

Best Visual Effects
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Transformers: Age of Extinction